


welcome home, molly

by knightofcauldrons



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Domestic, Eventual widomauk, Fluff, M/M, Mollymauk Tealeaf Has Really Good Friends, Multi, Other, Pining, Resurrection, chapter length consistency? whos she?, established shadowgast, eventual polyamorous relationship, excessive moon imagery, functionally illiterate molly, its just about molly living in the xorhouse. thats it thats the plot, playing fast and loose with dnd dryad lore, slight angst. just the slightest of angst. a hint of angst. a healthy teaspoon of angst., this fic has been getting fucking nuked by canon but its fine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-07-12 14:08:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 12,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19947421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightofcauldrons/pseuds/knightofcauldrons
Summary: Being resurrected from the dead and then introduced to the new home his friends had made without him presents its own unique challenges, as Molly soon finds out, and it takes an awful lot of adjusting.But Molly supposes that, well, this is home now. Might as well settle in.This is the story of the Mighty Nein, the Xorhouse, and Molly trying to figure outwherehe fits into all of it (if he even fits in at all).





	1. morning, molly

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first fic ive ever put online- so, enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly died. He got better though, so don't sweat it.

Seven people stood in front of a tree. The tree had only been there for a few months, though it had grown to a considerable size.  
The tree was gorgeous- Leaves of all colors ranging from red to orange to purple to blue to gold, the trunk thick with a brown-purple hue. Around it, mushrooms had grown, in shades of lovely purple and pink. 

A gorgeous rainbow of a tree for a gorgeous rainbow of a person- How fitting. 

At the base of the tree, a tarot card- The Moon. ( _Illusion, intuition, dreams and the unconscious. A fitting card- Especially for a follower of the Moonweaver_.) 

In front of the tree, hanging off a stick, was, impossibly, the coat of Mollymauk Tealeaf- In the same place, after all those months. 

Caleb stepped forward first, swallowing harshly. He reached out a hand and touched the fabric, somehow still soft, letting his hand slip down the sleeve. 

Caduceus put a hand on the tree and muttered something softly to it. Whatever he said was lost to the wind that ruffled the leaves. 

Beauregard swallowed, staring at the spot where she knew her friend was buried. 

“Well, what are we waiting for,” she said. 

“We,” Jester started saying, before she paused. She looked worried, face screwed up with discontent. “We _can_ bring him back, right? Even if he's.. Decomposed?” 

Caduceus, still with a hand on the tree, didn't answer. He paused, as if listening for something. 

“..Better start digging,” he said after a moment. 

So they dug. 

They found him, after a little while. The roots of the tree curled around him as if in a loving embrace, tender and protective. 

Some of the roots came directly from Molly’s chest. 

“..What now?” asked Yasha, voice small. 

“He has not decomposed,” Caleb said. “Impossibly, and yet. Yes, this should work.”

“Even with.. That?” Jester said, gesturing to the roots. 

“I know you love him,” Caduceus said softly to the tree. “But he needs to come back to us, please.”

Caduceus paused, then nodded. 

“We should start, then,” he said, looking back at the Mighty Nein. 

Getting him back was tiring, and long. But soon, they had finished, and they hadn't noticed the grip of the tree roots loosening hold on Molly until there were no more roots holding him at all. The roots from his chest retracted outwards, (though no one seemed to notice the few woody roots that retracted inwards instead), and Molly started with a gasp. 

He still looked the same as he did when he had died. Cheeks still as full, body still lean. Not the shriveled or gaunt form you'd expect from a corpse that’s been in the ground for months.

“Molly!”

For a second, there was nothing behind Molly’s eyes. No recognition. But then-

_I've never seen a group of people in such a need of a good time as this one. Mollymauk Tealeaf, Molly to my friends, and we are friends now, now aren't we?_

_Memories flashed behind his eyes. There was Jester, with her pastries and her hair that smelled like cinnamon. Beau, her cobalt blue and her begrudgingly fond smiles that she’d hide behind her hand. Fjord, charming as ever, the closest thing they had to a leader. Caleb, bright and intelligent and smelling like a pigs’ pen. Nott, with an eye for coins and shiny buttons. Yasha, protecting him, awkward and kind._

It all came flooding back, a spark returning to his eyes. 

He had started crying at one point, wonderful happy tears, his smile showing off little fangs. 

He crawled up, dusted the dirt off of him, walked forward, and grabbed his coat, shrugging it back on. It felt wonderful to put it on again, the coat fitting just right on his shoulders in the fact that it didn’t quite fit- Just like it used to. He patted his pockets, and gave a watery laughed. 

“You assholes looted my dead body, didn't you?”

Beau, Nott, and Caleb glanced at each other awkwardly. 

Molly just grinned. 

“I’d be offended if I wasn't so proud.”

The three of them laughed, watery and hesitant but sounding relieved. 

“Oh, come ‘ere, you asshole,” said Beau, grabbing Molly’s wrist and pulling him closer. Beau gestured her head, where Molly saw Yasha, staring and wide-eyed. 

Beau patted Molly encouragingly on the back and Molly let himself crash into Yasha, her large warm arms wrapping around him. 

“Oh, Molly,” Yasha said in a watery voice.

“Yasha,” said Molly, smiling softly into her shoulder.

Molly looked over his shoulder and saw Beau, pulling her into the hug too, and then Jester joined as a joyful sobbing mess, and then the rest of his friends joined until Molly was entirely engulfed in a big sappy hug from the Mighty Nein.

Mollymauk Tealeaf was back.


	2. variations on a theme

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly adjusts to some changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> vv small chapter. the tiniest of chapters. lil baby chapter. hope yall enjoy it anyways!

“So,” said Molly. “What’d I miss?” 

So much had changed in the time that Molly was gone.

He’s getting used to it, and getting used to the Xorhouse (which was apparently what they were calling the house now); He particularly liked the spa (and he had smiled when Jester had said she helped make it with Molly in mind). 

A lot had happened while Molly was dead- Like going out to sea (“You were pirates _without me!?_ ” Molly had gasped scandalously. “I would’ve made a _great_ pirate!”), and everything that had happened on the Mistake and the Balleater, and Caduceus Clay joining the Nein, and meeting Marion Lavorre, and Nott actually being Veth, and meeting Yeza, and becoming heroes of the Dynasty, and Yasha revealing she had a wife and Caleb revealing he used to be Bren, and-

It gives Molly a headache, sometimes. Molly has been gone for longer than he was there. Hell, _Caduceus_ probably knows them better than Molly. He _definitely_ knows them better than Molly. Sometimes, Molly wonders where he fits in. Everyone’s _changed_ so _much_ , and Molly’s not sure where he belongs- _If_ he even belongs, anymore. He’s reminded of that unbelonging every time they mention _that time they were on an island of snake-people_ , or every time they say _remember when we lost Professor Thaddeus?_ , or something else like that. 

Molly can’t deny that it’s _weird_. Being _dead_ was weird. (All he remembers from when he was dead, was a soft smile, pointed ears, and the flapping of wings.)

It’s not all bad, though. Beau is more mature but she still punches Molly in the arm like she used to. Jester’s gotten buffer and more scarred but she still vandalizes everything with drawings of dicks. Nott gets called Veth sometimes but her fingers are still just as slippery. Yasha’s eyes hold something a little different in them but her hugs still feel the same, safe and warm and awkward and loving, and Molly wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact #1: the chapter title is 100% a reference to a wolf 359 episode of the same name
> 
> fun fact #2: this fic is titled "happy sobbing about mollymauk tealeaf in the xorhouse" in my google docs 
> 
> fun fact #3: i have a tumblr! you can come yell at me about podcasts @knight-of-cauldrons 
> 
> hope yall enjoyed this chapter even tho its sort as hell!


	3. something will grow here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly learns that Jester _can_ actually draw things that aren't dicks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another short chapter whoooo

They really have made themselves a lovely home. It smells vaguely of sea salt and tea, and cinnamon and books, and chemicals and rain. Oh- And sweat. But Molly could ignore that- You can’t live the life of a mercenary/adventurer without a little sweat. 

After a little while, it starts smelling like lavender too. And it suddenly starts feeling like a proper home.

Jester drags him around the Xorhouse, showing him everything- The spa (that Molly _immediately_ wants to dip into), the kitchen that smells like sugar as well as failed baking experiments (probably thanks to Jester) and the aroma of something else that makes his mouth water (probably thanks to Caduceus). She shows him the garden that Caduceus and Yasha had helped to cultivate, shows him the murals in everyone’s room- The ones that she had painted. The murals take Molly’s breath away, actually. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen any of your artwork before this, Jester,” he says in a breathy voice. “Besides the dicks, of course.”

Jester beams, looking proud. “Oh! Oh!” she says suddenly, a peculiar light dancing around in her big blue eyes. “When we were pirates- Y’know the turtle guy we told you about? Orly? He taught me how to do _tattoos_!”

Molly raises his eyebrows, immediately interested and red eyes sparkling like rubies. “Oh! Jester dear, you’ll _have_ to give me one!” 

“ _Totally_!” Jester agrees, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet. “What would you want?”

Molly thought for a second. Then, he tapped at the gnarly scar on his chest- A twist of white scar tissue where a glaive once punctured. 

“Something will grow here,” he said, quoting the only sentence from the mortal world that he had heard while in his grave, giving Jester a small smile. 

Jester’s eyes twinkled.


	4. some trees flourish under moonlight instead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caduceus and Molly talk about trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally, a somewhat normal-length chapter this time (at least, when compared to the last two chapters)! enjoy, yall.

Molly likes Caduceus, he decides. Likes him a lot, actually. He’s strange and kind and makes _wonderful_ tea, and is apparently the reason for the giant lit-up tree on top of the Xorhouse. 

The tree is gloriously out of place and beautiful. The jars of daylight against the darkish-blue background of the Rosohna sky makes them look like stars- Fitting, as right above the giant tree, the moon shone down, bright and beautiful. 

Molly found himself at the tree often, when everyone else was asleep, and he’d just lay down and look up at the stars and the jars of daylight and the beautiful moon looking down on him. 

It was during one of those nights when Caduceus walks up. 

“Hello, Mr. Mollymauk,” Caduceus says in his deep, melodic voice. 

“Hey, Cad.” 

“I’m not intruding on anything, am I?” 

“Ah, no, you’re not. Its your garden, anyways.” 

“ _Our_ garden,” said Caduceus. 

“Even mine? The guy who hasn't been here for months?” 

“Of course. Mind if I sit?” 

“No, go ahead. Like I said, it’s your- _Our_ garden,” Molly said, correcting himself. 

Caduceus smiles a little and nods, and sits next to Molly cross-legged, while Molly’s lying down with his legs stretched out and one leg bent up, his back half-against the trunk of the tree and his hands behind his head. It’s not _nearly_ as comfortable as it looks, but Molly doesn’t mind. 

“..You grew this tree, right?” Molly says suddenly. 

“Yes I did, Mr. Mollymauk.” 

“..I like it. Being near it, I mean. It feels nice when I’m near it. Same thing with the other tree.” 

Caduceus tilted his head a little. 

“The other tree. You mean the tree where we brought you back?” he asks. 

“Yeah. That one.” 

Caduceus hummed at that. “Same species.” 

That didn’t surprise Molly. They didn’t look exactly the same, but they certainly looked similar. Same colors, even if this one had more green in it.

Caduceus glanced at Molly and cleared his throat. 

“When we, ah, dug up your body,” Caduceus said, “you hadn’t decomposed at all. The tree roots, were-”

“Holding me, right?” 

“Yeah, exactly. That wound on your chest, the roots had gone inside it. They let go of you, obviously, though they were kinda sad about it.” 

“Right. I think.. I think I could _feel_ the roots hugging me. Sorta. It just.. When I was dead, it felt like being half-asleep. Unconscious, but still vaguely aware of what’s around you.” 

“Right, right.” 

“And.. I don’t know.” Molly snorted. “I guess I’m just really into trees now.” 

Caduceus hummed. “Reminds me of a dryad.”

“Aren’t dryads, like, tree-people?” 

“Basically. Each dryad has a specific tree they’re born from. They’re connected to that tree- Like it’s a home, or a mother. They can’t go too far from the tree, without bringing something that’s connected to it- Like a leaf or a seed. If the tree dies, than the dryad dies as well. The dryad can, ah, connect to another tree, though, if need be.”

“..Huh,” said Molly. “That’s, ah, interesting.”

“It is.” 

“..So, why’d the tree.. Do that? Why’d it hold onto me? Because it’s obviously sentient, right?”

“All trees are, so yes.”

“Right. So then, why’d it do that for little ol’ me? You said that it had roots within me- Like maybe it was preserving me. Or giving me, I dunno, sustenance through its roots? Like I was just in a coma. Like it was trying to protect me. Why’d it do that? I’m sure there are plenty of poor suckers out there that could use a magic tree to keep them half-alive.”

Caduceus shrugged at that.

“I did help that tree grow there,” Caduceus said. “Maybe the Wildmother had something to do with it. Maybe your Moonweaver had something to do with it. Maybe the tree just liked you. Maybe all three.”

“Maybe,” said Molly, looking up at the stars. 

“I can feel it’s roots.” Molly said. “The tree’s. Like.. I can just sense them. Intrinsically. I can feel its leaves absorbing the daylight from the jars. I don’t know if that makes sense.”

“It doesn’t,” says Caduceus with a nod. “Not to me. But it makes sense to _you_ , which is the important part.”

“Well, it doesn’t _really_ make sense to me either. I'm still figuring this out. So, what, am I a dryad now?” 

“Possibly,” said Caduceus. 

“Or half-dryad.”

“That’s another possibility.” 

“Yeah.. Though, as far as I know, I don’t have anything from that tree. Since you said that dryads needed a seed or leaf or somethin’, and I don’t have one. But whatever.” Molly paused. “Hey, I’m free to just do whatever I want here, right?” 

Caduceus gazed at Molly. “Do you pray, Mollymauk?” asked Caduceus.

“..I never have. Not really. But.” Molly glanced up. “I’ve.. Also never been somewhere like this before. This place feels like it.. Like it sorta lends itself to it, you know.”

Caduceus nodded. 

“You’re free to do whatever you’d like. We can definitely set up a little shrine to the Moonweaver, if you’d like.”

“I’ll definitely take the offer into consideration. ..Thank you, Caduceus.”

“No problem, Mollymauk. I’ll leave you to it.” 

“Right. Thank you again.” 

Caduceus hummed and walked back into the house, and left behind a small delicate cup of lavender tea, still warm.

Molly smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 4: aka, the chapter where we learn that a fucking tree was tube-feeding molly.


	5. (il)literacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly does some reading, Beau calls out some lies, a new guest makes an appearance.

Molly’s never been bothered by the fact he’s functionally illiterate. When he was with the circus, _everyone_ was either illiterate or functionally illiterate. Except for Gustav, but even he _stumbled_ his way through functional literacy. 

Sometimes it bothered him, but it didn’t usually. He was just a person who never got an education living with a bunch of other people who, similarly, never got an education (which included even Gustav, and Molly gave mad props to the guy for teaching himself how to read well enough to be considered at least half-functioning). 

And don’t even get him started on _math_ \- Even _Gustav_ couldn’t quite figure it out, but oddly enough, Bo the Breaker seemed to have a handle on it. Bo did the math, Gustav did the writing. If they were put together, they were something of a functioning person.

And then Molly had joined the Mighty Nein, and he discovered something- _All_ of them could read. All of them could read _well_. And don’t even get Molly started on fuckin’ Caleb and Beau- Especially _Caleb_. Fuckin’ nerds. 

Molly could read, _kind of_ , but not enough to actually, well, function. _Functionally illiterate_ , after all. Not like he was ever interested in books, but..

Well, Rosahna is the most literate fucking place Molly’s ever _fucking_ been. Somehow, _everyone_ here knows how to read and write. There are books _everywhere_ , and snotty stuck-ups that had the _luxury_ of going to _school_ , and it’s driving Molly _mad_ , because _everyone can read_.

Which is how Molly finds himself sitting in the Xorhouse with his feet up and a book in his hands.

It’s one of Caleb’s- One of the smut books, actually, because if he’s going to teach himself to read he’s going to start off with a bang (in multiple senses of the word). 

He’s sitting in a nice cushioned chair with his shoes flung halfway across the floor and having left his coat in his room. 

(Having a room to himself is, also, _very_ weird. And a little lonely- He wishes he could bunk with Yasha, but he’ll get over it. Sometimes, it’s even kinda nice. But. Y’know. He’s just not quite used to it yet.)

The chair he’s sitting in is placed in the front room of the house, pushed into a corner next to the front door. Beau is sitting in a chair across from him and actually doesn’t look like she’s aware of anything around her as she sits sideways in her cushioned chair, also holding a book, a strand of hair falling in her face that he doubts she's noticed. 

There’s a knock at the door. Beau hasn’t noticed and Molly doesn’t want to get up, so Caleb does the honors of answering it. 

“..Oh, Essik! Hello, come in.”

Beau glances over, and nods at whoever is in the doorway. “Sup.” 

Molly looks out of the corner of his eye- Oh, _fuck._

Molly wracks his mind for where he’s heard the name _Essik_ , and then he remembers- Shadowhand Essik Theylas. He's a den leader, or somethin'. Some higher-up. He’s a drow, dark skin and stark-white hair and pretty silvery eyes. 

And he’s _painfully_ attractive. 

“Hello, Caleb. Hello, Beauregard.” 

Beau groaned a little. “You can just call me _Beau_ ,” she said, but Essik was already looking at Molly.

“Oh- Hello, I don’t think we’ve met.” 

“We haven’t!” said Molly, tail swishing. He closed his book, keeping his spot by shoving his finger between two of the pages. He stood and held out a hand to Essik.

“Mollymauk Tealeaf, Molly to my friends, and we are friends now, now aren’t we?” he said with signature charm. Beau snorts loudly at the recycled line. 

Essik raised both eyebrows, seemingly intrigued. He shook Molly’s hand.

“Shadowhand Essik Theylas. And you’re a friend of the Mighty Nein?”

Molly grinned. “Yes, very much so!” 

“He’s trustworthy,” reassured Caleb, gently bumping his shoulder against Essik’s. Huh, Molly thinks. Essik glances at Caleb with something soft in his eyes. Molly glances at Beau, who definitely sees his masked confusion and smiles cryptically at him. 

“Of course,” said Essik. “A friend of yours is a friend of mine. ..Interesting book you have there.” 

Ah, right, that’s when Molly remembers. He just got caught reading a smut book (with a _rather_ provocative cover) by the Bright Queen’s (hot) right-hand man. This is fine. Perfectly fine. (It's not, actually. It's a rather shitty first impression. But it _is_ on brand for Molly.) 

Just to stir some chaos, Beau calmly says, “Isn’t that one of Caleb’s smut books?”, before her attention goes back to her own book with a little smug smile. 

Essik’s eyebrows shoot up even further as he looks at Caleb.

“Is that so?” he asks, the corners of his lips twitching up. 

Caleb’s face turns red. “I was just, uh- I needed some entertainment.”

Essik just smiles amusedly. “ _Entertainment_ , hm?”

“Shut up!”

“It’s whatever,” said Molly. He held up the book. “It’s not like I can read half off this, anyways.”

Caleb’s eyebrows knitted together. “Why?” 

Well. Does Molly want to admit that he’s basically illiterate in front of Essik, who probably had a fucking private tutor as a kid like one of _those_ people, and Caleb, who’s lifeblood is books and libraries? 

Molly just shrugs. “It’s pretty boring in the beginning, I’ve been zoning out.” 

He decided that the answer to that question is _no, no he doesn’t._

He’s suddenly glad that Yasha isn’t in the room- She definitely would’ve been confused by the lie, as the only member of the Nein that knows about his lack of literacy. 

Molly closes the book and gently tosses it onto his chair. “I’ll give it back, Caleb.” 

“Uh.. Right.” 

“Anyways,” said Essik. “I have a few more spells for you, Caleb.”

While to anyone else, it would seem like Caleb’s expression hadn’t changed at all, Molly can recognize the new light in his eyes. 

“Ah! Ja, yes, that is- Ja, wunderbar. We should get to that.” 

“Oh, don’t let me keep you,” said Molly, stepping aside. “Have fun, kiddos. Stay safe, use protection!” he said jokingly. 

“Don’t worry,” said Caleb, in a tone that sounded less joking as he slipped his hand into Essik’s, “we will.” 

And Molly’s jaw dropped as he watched them leave the room.

Curled in her seat, Beau snickered at Molly’s flabbergasted expression.

“..I missed a lot when I was dead, huh?” said Molly.

Beau snickered again.

“So.. Are they..?” Molly trailed off. Beau smirked.

“Maybe you should ask Caleb,” she said.

Molly pouted and crossed his arms like a petulant child, because he was.

Beau paused.

“..You can’t read, can you?” she said suddenly. 

Molly blinked in surprise. 

“I _can_ ,” he said. 

Beau just looked at him dryly. 

“..Badly,” Molly relented. “I can read _badly_. Not enough to get by.”

Beau nodded slowly. 

“Uh, she said. “Sorry for being a prying asshole.”

“You didn’t really pry. Well, you _kinda_ did, but I didn’t really feel forced to tell you, or anything, y’know? I don’t really care if people know about me being functionally illiterate.”

“You didn’t tell Caleb, though,” said Beau. 

“Well, I wasn’t necessarily _lying_ , was I? I _did_ actually zone out a lot, and it _was_ boring at times.”

Beau hummed at that. 

“We wouldn’t judge, y’know. Caleb wouldn’t.”

“Caleb? Mr. I-Love-Books?”

“ _Yeah_ ,” said Beau, with a _no duh_ tone of voice.

“..You’re right,” Molly relented once again, “He probably wouldn’t. I dunno.” 

Molly paused. 

“..They’re _seriously_ a thing?” he said.

“Yeah," said Beau, nodding her head. "They’re pretty cute together. It’s gross.” 

“Well, I’m.. I’m happy for him. Just. Wouldn’t have expected it.”

“Yeah,” agreed Beau with a smile. “Didn’t see it coming.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOT BOI


	6. a man made of wood sits beside a man made of fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caleb notices some changes with Molly.

Molly slides into a chair next to Caleb in the library and rests his chin on the palm of his hand, grinning.

“So Essik, huh?” 

Caleb glanced up from his book. “..What about him?” 

“ _Youuuu and Essikkkk_ ,” Molly said in a sing-song voice. 

“..Yes? Oh." Caleb then seemed to understand what Molly was saying. "Oh, yes, we are.. Wie sagt man? Uh, Courting. I am courting Essik.” 

Molly’s eyes twinkled. 

“ _Ooooooh_! Tell me _everything_ , Caleb!”

Caleb blinked at him. “I like him. He likes me. So we’re courting.”

Molly groaned over-dramatically and laid down on the table. “Oh, no fun!” 

Caleb sighed and patted Molly on his head. It feels nice. 

Caleb pulled his hand back and a finger accidentally grazes against his horn. He tries not to shudder at the contact. (It feels doubly nice.) 

Caleb tilted his head a little. “Your horn feels like wood.” 

Molly blinks, then reaches up to touch one of them. It _does_ feel like wood. He gently knocks on one. It sounds like he was knocking on wood instead of bone. 

“..Okay, well that’s fuckin’ weird,” said Molly. “Jester!” he calls out. 

Jester pokes her head into the library. 

“Yes, Molly?” 

“Come over here for a second, darling,” said Molly, beckoning her over.

Jester bounces over to them. 

“Okay, so my horns feel like wood,” Molly says. 

Jester blinks.

“Am I allowed to touch them?” she asks. 

“Uh- Yeah. Thanks for asking. You are.” 

Jester touches one of them, gently. She gasps. “It _does_ feel like wood!” she says.

“Yeah," said Molly. "It does. Which, that's not normal, right? That's not like, a normal tiefling thing, right?”

Jester shrugged. “I don’t think so!” she said. 

“..Huh. Okay.” 

“Do you think it’s a problem, Mollymauk?” said Caleb, eyebrows furrowed in concern. Molly shook his head, jewelry jingling. 

“No, I don’t think so. It’s just odd.” 

“Right, ja,” says Caleb, looking slightly more reassured. 

(Molly thinks he knows why his horns feel like that. He remembers the talk he had with Caduceus while sitting at the tree. He shakes it off, though, for now. He _just_ came back to life, for fuck's sake. One thing at a time, y'know.)

“..You _really are_ dating Essik then?” said Molly. A wide grin spread across Jester’s face.

“Yes he _is_!” Jester sang happily (she had a rather nice singing voice, actually, which Molly duly noted). “Aren’t they _adorable_?” 

Molly smiled. 

“I’m happy for you, Caleb,” he says.

Caleb looked at him (Molly didn’t return the gaze, looking at Jester twirl around instead), and Caleb nodded.

“Danke. Thank you, Mollymauk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fair warning for this fic- i am but a simple monolingual and i use google translate for caleb's german. so if any of it is Super Hella Wrong, then thats why


	7. a man made of wood loves a man made of fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mollymauk Tealeaf; Bisexual, sappy, hopeless.

It’s not that he was lying, because he wasn’t. He _was_ happy for him. Essik seems like a swell guy and Caleb seems happy with him, which is all Molly needs in order to be happy, too. If Caleb’s happy, then that's all that matters.

But, the problem is, Molly is a little bit in love with Caleb. 

It’s just something that sort of.. _Happened_. One day, he just realized- The grass is green, the sky is blue, and he’s in love with Caleb Widogast. It was just something that happened naturally, like it was just the next logical sequence of events. Like he had a fucking to-do list that went something like; Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, fall in love with Caleb Widogast.

And fall in love he certainly did, with that beautiful rare smile, and his soft-looking orange hair that Molly wanted to run his hands through, and the adorable scruff he had sometimes, and the way his voice sometimes sounded gruff and crackly when he muttered incantations under his breath, making Molly's stomach tingle every time he heard it. 

So Molly accidentally fell in love with Caleb Widogast. And then Molly died. And then he came back to life, for a second chance! Except that there was never a second chance in the first place, not when it came to Caleb, because Caleb was already in love with someone and that someone wasn't him.

He really threw away his shot, huh? If only he could’ve just _said_ something- Molly always wore his heart on his sleeve. In the past, he had always been upfront with his feelings, but when it came to Caleb, his feelings were.. Different. And more hidden from the public eye. 

But there was never a good time to tell him, now was there? With discovering the dodecahedron, and dealing with the Gentleman, and then the Iron Shepherds kidnapping half of their party… There was never a good time to tell him. (At least, that’s the excuse Molly tells himself. Though, in reality, that was never what held him back- There were _plenty_ of times to tell him. What actually held him back from confessing to Caleb, was the underlying fear that maybe Caleb _didn’t like him_. Because Caleb always cared about blending in, always cared about being inconspicuous, and Molly? Well, Caleb would never be able to do that, not by Molly’s side. Caleb probably thought he was too flamboyant, too flashy, too _much_ for him to deal with, too _much_ to be worth it. He doubted he was Caleb’s type, anyways- If Caleb even had one. Molly still could’ve at least _asked_ , and then fuck right off when he was rejected, but Molly always got too nervous, didn’t want things to get awkward between them if Caleb didn’t like him back, which was highly probable. He still could’ve _asked_ , but while Molly’s impulsive he’s also simultaneously a coward, and that cowardice won out in the end.)

He should’ve told him before he died, though- Because he sure as Hell can’t tell him _now_. It’ll just be a secret he’ll have to take to his grave. Again. And again. And however many times it takes until death actually sticks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is what happens when an aro tries to write romance lol. hope i wrote it well!


	8. shitty lit club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprisingly, learning to read has the highest CR of all. Good thing Molly's got a good party.

One day, Beau slides into the seat next to him.

“Hey.”

“Hello, Beau. Did you need something?”

Beau set of stack of books onto the table. 

“..And what’s this?”

“I’m not a good teacher,” said Beau, “But, uh. You were trying to read. And reading’s hard. And I can help. Uh. If you want my help. Uh. Yeah.”

Molly blinked at her. 

“Such hospitality.”

“Fuck off, I’m trying!”

Molly couldn’t help but smile. “I know, I know! I appreciate it. So where we do start?” 

“Uhh,” said Beau, having obviously not expected to actually get this far, even though it wasn’t very far at all. “I dunno, the alphabet?” 

“I know the fucking _alphabet_ , Beau.” 

“Well shit, fuckin’ hot stuff! Fuck me, I guess!”

“Huh, I thought I wasn’t your type.”

“You fuckin’ prick-”

“It’s fine, you’re not my type, either.”

Beau actually snorts at that, and Molly laughs a little.

“What _is_ your type, then?” asked Beau half-jokingly. 

“Grumpy human wizards, apparently.” 

Beau raised her eyebrows, looking surprised. “No shit?” she said. 

Molly shrugged. 

“I guess.”

“Oh, _shit_ ," she said, surprised by the fact she was given a genuine answer. "Uh, why are you telling me this?”

“I’m trying to do this fun thing,” Molly started, “where I open up to people more. Ever heard of it? Besides. I don’t want to keep secrets anymore. Unless it’s Caleb. In which case, this conversation never happened.”

Maybe he wouldn’t take the secret to the grave after all. He doesn’t mind that, actually. He wants to leave a bit more of himself behind, next time he kicks the bucket. Make sure he _actually_ leaves _something_ of a mark. 

“.. _Him_? _Seriously_?” 

Molly snorts and pushes Beau, and she teeters in her chair but predictably regains her balance with a snicker. (Fuckin’ monks.)

“Fuck off, Beau!”

“..So is it like, a big crush?” 

“Nah,” Molly lies flippantly. “It’s nothing, really. I don’t have a _major_ crush on him, if it can even be _called_ a crush. I just think he’s kinda cute.” 

Beau quirks an eyebrow. 

Molly raises his own at her and reaches for one of the books she brought. 

He flips it open to a random page.

“Oh, I have a headache already,” he said, looking down at the words.

“I’m sure you’ve already guessed,” said Beau, “but I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing. One of the others might be better suited for this. Oh, that probably isn’t the best book to start with, Molly..” 

“Why the _fuck_ are there so many letters in this _fucking_ word!?”

“That's, uh, that says transmutation. This is one of Caleb’s fuckin’ nerd books. Oh- Y’know who would probably be a good teacher? Fuckin’ Caleb. He’d be fuckin’ _great_ at this, actually! And I’m not _just_ saying that because I’m poking fun at your crush.”

“I don’t even _have_ -”

“-Jester would probably want to help out, too, though it’s arguable whether she’ll actually be helpful. But it’s the thought that counts, right? I’m sure all of us can pitch in to help- If you’re fine telling the others that you’re illiterate. I dunno if you’re like, insecure about it, or somethin'. I mean, you seem a _little_ insecure.”

“ _Me_ , Mollymauk Tealeaf, insecure?”

“I dunno, maybe!" said Beau. "Anyone can be insecure, Molls! Even you.” 

Molly sighed over-dramatically. “I suppose!”

Caleb entered the room suddenly, and he paused and furrowed his eyebrows. 

“Are those my books, Beauregard?” 

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

“..Okay. You could’ve just asked, Beauregard, I would’ve let your borrow them. ..Those are my magic and smut books, Beauregard, why do you want _those_?”

“ _Uhhhhhhhhhhh_ ,” said Beau, looking over to Molly. 

“ _Uhhhhhhhhhhh_ ,” said Molly. “Uhh, Caleb! Hi. We are, uh. Reading.”

“..Which is what one usually does with books, I would think. Why?”

“Ah! Ah. Uh. Well, I.. Uh.”

Caleb frowned slightly. “Are you alright, mein stern?” 

“Caleb, I’m, uh- Earlier this week, when Essik came over, and I said I hadn’t read half of that book anyways? It’s because. I’m illiterate, Caleb. Technically, I’m functionally illiterate. I can read, just not.. Not _enough_. Certainly not enough to read a whole book, I probably wouldn’t even be able to get through a few _pages_ without a raging fuckin’ headache. So, yeah! I’m illiterate.” 

Caleb blinked.

“Okay.”

“..Okay? ..Is that it?” said Molly, a little underwhelmed by Caleb's response. 

“Uh, ja. It's not surprising that you are functionally illiterate, Mollymauk.” 

“I guess I _do_ give off some serious _idiot vibes_ , huh?” 

Caleb frowned. “Du bist kein idiot. You are not an idiot, Mollymauk, just because you cannot read. But you’ve only been alive for two years, and you didn’t exactly get an education while living with a circus, so it’s not exactly _surprising_. And it’s not something to be ashamed of.”

Caleb glanced between Beau and Molly. 

“Do you want my help?”

Molly found himself strangely tongue-tied. 

“Uh- Uh, sure. If you’re willing to take the time out of your day- Don’t worry, I’m a quick learner.”

Beau raised an eyebrow and nudged Molly’s leg under the table. Molly kicked her. Beau didn't even flinch, just looked even more smug. 

Caleb took a seat next to Molly. 

“Now,” he said. “Where do we begin?” 

Fjord, at one point, had poked his head in.

“Are you busy right now, Molly?”

“Hm? No. Just learning how to read.”

“..You can't?” 

“Only sorta. But not really.”

“Oh.. Right. I..” Fjord trailed off. 

Caleb raised his eyebrows. “Would you like to join, Fjord?”

“Huh? Oh, _nahhh_. I'm a little rusty, I guess, but I can read and write just fine.”

“Fjord,” said Molly with a smile. “Pull out a chair, you can sit on the other side of Caleb.”

Fjord paused, then sighed. 

“Fine,” he said. “But only for, uh, moral support. For you. While learning how to read. Reading’s hard.”

Fjord sat down. 

Molly smiled. 

Yasha sat across from Molly, and Molly curled his tail around her ankle. 

“What are you doing?” she asked

“Learning how to read.”

Yasha looked surprised (though not in a negative way). 

“What brought this on?” she asked.

“The desire to read,” said Molly with a smile. 

“...Can I join? I can read, but-”

“Join the club,” said Fjord. 

“Of functional illiterates,” added Molly. 

“ _I’m_ literate,” said Fjord defensively with a small frown.

“Join the club,” corrected Molly, “of people who read, but badly.”

“That's… better,” said Fjord. “But I like to think I can read _okay_.”

“Join the club,” corrected Molly with a drier tone, “of below-average readers.” 

“..I’ll take that,” Fjord grumbled. 

“But what's the average?” said Beau. “Literacy isn't a widespread thing _everywhere_ , so the average is different from place to place, y'know.”

“We’re keeping the name,” said Molly, “I am _not_ changing it again. We’re the Club of Below-Average Readers, and that's final. Probably.”

Beau snickered. 

“..The _I Can Read, But_ club,” said Fjord. “Because we _can_ read, but there’s a _but_ to it.” 

“Holy shit,” said Beau, “that’s a _dumb_ fuckin’ name.” 

“We’re just a fuckin’ shitty lit club,” said Molly. 

Beau’s eyes lit up. 

“ _Shitty lit club_!” she said. “ _That’s_ the name!”

Molly’s eyes widened. 

“Holy _shit_ , we’re Shitty Lit Club!” 

“Shitty Lit Club,” said Fjord, nodding his approval. “Aye, aye.”

“Wow,” said Yeza. “This, uh, really looks like a party. Uh, is there like, a meeting?”

Molly beamed at Yeza. He hasn't known the man for very long, but he was nice and kind and trustworthy and seemed like a perfect match for Nott, so Molly decided he rather liked him. 

“Shitty Lit Club,” he said. 

“Uh, what’s that?” said Nott. 

“Exactly what it says on the tin,” Beau explained. 

“We're learning how to read!” said Molly. “Because we’re really shitty at it. Besides Beau and Caleb. But I’m _especially_ shitty at it. The shittiest.” 

“ _Lavendel_ is getting better,” said Caleb. 

“Lavendel?” 

“Uh- Nickname,” said Caleb. “You have a nickname now.” 

“Wow, I’m so honored.” 

Nott took a seat across from Molly, and pointed at one of the words on Molly’s paper.

“Isn’t that supposed to have a _U_ in it?”

“Alternate spelling,” Caleb answered. Molly frowned. 

“Who the _fuck_ puts a _U_ in _colour_?” 

“Nott, apparently,” said Beau. 

“I do,” said Yasha. 

“Well, that’s stupid,” Molly decided. “Fuck that.” 

“Fuck Common,” added Fjord.

“That’s fair,” said Yeza, Beau nodding in agreement.

“Fuck Common,” Beau and Nott said in unison.

Caleb nodded. “ _Ficken_ Common.” 

“You guys look tired,” said Caduceus as he walked in with cups of tea. 

“Learning to read is tiring,” said Molly with a yawn. 

“Oh, that’s exciting.” 

“We’re the Shitty Lit Club,” said Beau. “Want to join?” 

“I don’t see why not. I can read fine. My mother taught my siblings and I how to read. I can help out, though.”

“Wunderbar!” said Molly. “Pull up a chair, mein freund!”

Caleb quirked an eyebrow.

“Oh, that’s new,” he said.

“Yeah,” said Molly. “I’ve been picking some stuff up. Maybe I can learn to read Zemnian, too!”

Caleb’s lips barely moved but Molly knows a smile when he sees one, (especially if its Caleb). “One thing at a time, _lila_.” 

Molly chuckled. 

“Aww!” said Jester as she bounced in. “Was there a party without me?” 

“Uh, not really,” said Fjord. “Everyone just sort of.. Appeared.” 

“Whatcha doin’?” Jester asked as she bounced over to them. 

“Learning how to read,” answered Molly. 

“Oh! _Oooh_ , can I help?” 

“Oh, I don’t see why not,” said Molly. 

“We’re teaching Common,” said Beau. 

Jester gasped suddenly, eyes alight. “Ohhhh, Molly!”

“Yes dear?”

“I can teach you how to read _Infernal!_ ”

Molly grinned. “That would be _lovely_ , Jester!” he said. “ _I’d be honored_ ,” he continued saying in Infernal.

Jester grinned back, and didn’t even bother to pull up a chair, draping herself right into Beau’s lap.

“Hey, what gives!” cried Beau. Jester didn’t seem to notice. 

“SO-” Jester said, as she started going on and on about Infernal. Molly only caught a bit of it at first, but it was nice to see Jester so excited (and anyways, when Molly had asked her in to slow down a bit, she obliged beautifully).

“Oh, I hope I am not intruding?”

Caleb’s head perks up like a meerkat’s at the sound of Essik’s voice. It’s _unbearably_ cute (and Molly doesn’t think about Caleb perking up like that for him, no sir, he does _not_ ).

“Oh, Essik-” 

“Why are you here,” said Beau. 

“Can’t I just come to visit? Also, the front door was open.” 

“..And you just took that as an invitation to, uh, _waltz_ in?” said Fjord.

Caleb gently nudged Fjord. Fjord made eye-contact with Beau, there was a pause, and the two of them relented with a sigh.

“We’re just studying, _liebling_ ,” Caleb said in a soft tone, though not like Molly cares, why would he care? It doesn’t make his heart do a weird little backflip, no siree. 

“Oh, interesting. Studying what, might I ask?” 

“Uh, we're..” Caleb glanced at Molly.

Ah, fuck it. It’s not like Molly was ashamed of it. (Not with seven people who have his back.) “I’m learning how to read,” he said.

Essik raised his eyebrows, tilting his head a little. A small strand of soft white hair falls into his eyes. “You cannot?” he asked. 

“ _Nahh_ ,” said Molly with a fanged, lopsided grin. “Never had an education. I grew up as a fuckin’ carnie, actually, if you couldn’t tell,” and Molly steps out of his chair to do a little dramatic twirl (he vaguely wonders if Essik enjoys the view- he has to admit that he’s showing himself off a _little_ bit), emphasizing the flamboyant multicolored-collage he called a coat- The sort of coat that would only fit on someone as eccentric as a carnie.

There's a hint a amusement in Essik's voice as he smiles a little bit and says, "Never would’ve guessed.” 

That makes Molly smile a more (he made Essik _amused_ , holy _shit_ , he can’t say that he’s not a little proud of himself). 

“If you want,” said Essik, in his smooth accented voice, “I could certainly get you in touch with the Dynasty’s finest tutors. You would learn to read in no time. Unless..” Essik glanced around the table. “You’d rather learn from your friends?” 

Molly glanced at the Nein.

“Thank you for the offer, Shadowhand,” he said, “but I’d rather learn from these chucklefucks, y’know?”

Essik smiled. “Understood,” he said. “And please, Mollymauk, call me Essik.”

Molly grinned. “Call me Molly, then,” he said.

Essik raised his eyebrows. 

“Alright then, Molly,” Essik said, and Molly liked the sound of him saying his name perhaps a little too much. “Good luck with the studying.” 

“Are you here for a specific reason, mein lieb?” asked Caleb.

“Just checking in,” said Essik. 

“Do you wanna join Shitty Lit Club?” Jester asked, genuine and sweet. “Oh! I could teach _you_ how to speak Infernal, too!” Jester paused, then made a face. “Actually, I don’t want to do that, I just wanna teach Molly Infernal first. But do you wanna join anyway?” 

Essik seemed a little surprised by the offer, but Caleb just smiled at him and Beau shrugged at him and Jester just grinned widely, so he sighed softly and sat down next to Caleb. 

“Great!” said Molly. “Now, I know you said, Caleb, _I before E except after C_ , but that’s total fucking bullshit, isn’t it?” 

Caleb sighed.

“..Ja,” he said. “Common is confusing.” 

Molly snorted. “Fuckin’ cheers to that!” he said. Their cups of tea (courtesy of Caduceus) clinked together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alternate chapter title: molly gets LIT(erate)


	9. fjord the sword vore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly has some queries about his missing weapon.

“So,” said Molly as they sat around the dinner table. “Where _did_ my Summer’s Dance go? I don’t think any of you have actually said _where_ and _why_.”

The others looked at each other. 

“..Fjord absorbed it,” Beau finally said. 

Molly raised an eyebrow. 

“So Fjord vored my sword?” 

“ _Fjord vored my sword_ ,” repeated Beau. “That’s fun to say. And, uh, yeah. He did.” 

“Uh. I, uh.. Ate it?” Fjord piped up.

“You _ate_ my sword.” 

“Uh. _Yeah_?”

“Sort of like that stone that you.. Absorbed into your chest?” Molly asked.

“Yeah,” said Fjord, “Like that. Feedin’ my patron, and all.”

“Right, right.” 

“The Summer’s Dance sort of, uh, absorbed into my falchion.” Fjord summoned the falchion, showing it to Molly. “See?”

“Huh!" said Molly. "Thought it looked a little different. I don’t suppose you can un-vore it?” 

“Um.. I could try?” 

Molly just waved it off. “Or, nah. Don't sweat it if you can't. It’s kinda fucking with my double-scimitar aesthetic, but it was just made of carnival glass, y’know? I could use a nice upgrade, anyways.” 

“Shopping trip?” said Beau. 

“ _Shopping trip_!” agreed Jester excitedly. “Ohh, we can shop for new clothes, too! And pretty makeup, and-”

“It sounds like a plan,” said Molly with a chuckle. 

“Plus, your coat is _stinky_ ,” said Jester, wrinkling her nose.

“It’s not that-” Molly paused to sniff it. He made a face. “-Okay, yeah no, that’s pretty bad.” 

“Uh," said Fjord. "Sorry about voreing your sword, Molls." Fjord nervously picked at the tusk that was trying to grow in. 

“It’s fine, Fjord,” said Molly. He eyed the tusk. “Are you letting those grow out, Fjord?”

“Uh, yeah. I am, actually. Uh- Jester convinced me to.”

Molly grinned. 

“Nice, Jester,” he said, and she giggled. “The tusks are kinda hot, Fjord,” he continued.

Fjord's face turned a darker green. “Shit, uh- Thanks, Molls.” 

Molly nodded, then tilted his head. “Hm. You’re a literal sword-swallower,” said Molly.

Jester gasped. “I bet that’s not the only thing you can swallow!” she said loudly, excited by the opportunity to use such a dirty joke.

Fjord just sighed fondly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i highly apologize for todays chapter title. and for the excessive usage of the word vore.


	10. shitty lit club pt 2: tiefling vers.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly, Jester, and dirty words in Infernal.

Common was just Common- Nothing really special. 

But _Infernal_ \- Molly liked Infernal. Liked how it felt on his tongue, more natural and familiar than Common, like it was home. 

Jester says that she grew up speaking _both_ Infernal and Common, and that she didn’t really have just a _singular_ mother tongue. She said she liked Infernal more, though- In Nicodranus, knowing how to speak Infernal was something that only her and her mama shared, their little thing. And now, it was Molly and Jester’s little thing too- Just the two of them.

(If Molly had to guess, he’d say that Infernal was probably Lucien’s first language, but Molly didn't like thinking about Lucien very much. The others had told him that Cree thought he was dead- Thank the Moonweaver for that. One less thing to worry about.)

The letters in Infernal looked nice, too- All sharp hard edges that made Molly taste copper just by looking at it. They looked pretty fuckin’ cool, and they looked natural to Molly’s eyes. Molly found it was easier to learn Infernal than it was to learn Common- Common’s pretty fuckin’ stupid, anyways, and _I before E except after C_ is a fucking joke. 

“This is all making sense, right Molls?” asked Jester after a bit of studying. 

“Uh, yeah. It’d say it is.” 

“Good!” said Jester happily. “Good, good! See? Reading is.. Easy-ish!”

“Yeah,” agreed Molly. “Easy-ish.” 

“Good! Oh, oh! I can pass you _super secret notes and noooobody will know what they say_!”

“Besides every other literate tiefling. Or anyone who can read Infernal.”

“Oh," Jester continued as if she hadn't heard Molly, "and they can say _dirty_ things! And _nasty_ words!”

“You would write that in Common, anyways.” 

“Yeahhhh. But…” Jester looked around, and then leaned forward. “ _Penis_ written in Infernal _actually kinda looks like a penis…!_ ”

Molly’s eyes widened to the size of the moon. 

“ _Show me_.”

Jester grinned devilishly, and Molly couldn’t do anything but grin back and slide her a piece of paper.

(The piece of paper turned out to be one of Caleb’s misplaced notecards, that had on it a spell that Caleb hadn’t copied into his spellbook yet, but it wasn't like either of the tieflings knew that- They just thought it was some spare paper. A little bit later, Caleb frowned as he caught himself, while mid zoning-out, doodling a dick into his spellbook for no apparent reason while he was trying to copy down a spell. Huh. How odd.)


	11. moon and shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly and Yasha chat about gods.

Molly stayed up that night, walking around the perimeter of the Xorhouse. The moon was bright and gorgeous and beautiful, it sometimes took Molly’s breath away.

It started to drizzle, small sprinklings of rain, crystalline droplets of water nestling themselves into his plum-colored hair.

Molly sighed a little and kept walking around the Xorhouse, eventually coming across a balcony that jutted outwards from the house. Molly looked at the outside wall of the Xorhouse, then judged how high up the balcony was. He grabbed onto the stones of the wall and jumped up to the balcony with a dramatic flourish despite knowing that there was no one to impress besides the trees a little ways off, and Molly didn’t feel like he needed to impress them. (He wasn’t as graceful as Beau, but he could sure as Hell pretend. Plus, swinging around was fun, anyways. Maybe he could get Beau to teach him a thing or two.)

He climbed up onto the balcony, putting himself in a sitting position on the skinny railing. 

With her back turned away from him, on the other side of the balcony and on her knees, was Yasha. Molly smiled. Yasha moved a little, the giant muscles in her shoulders shifting. Molly had a  
feeling she knew he was there. 

Molly hopped onto the balcony, his boots clicking. Yasha looked over her shoulder at him.

“The droplets in your hair look like stars,” she said in lieu of greeting, in a voice that sounded like the rain around her. 

Molly smiled softly, chuckling slightly.

“A star to sit beside the Moon,” he said, glancing up at the sky. “Can I sit with you?” 

“Of course. Always, Molly.” 

Yasha shifted so she could sit on her knees facing Molly, and Molly sat cross-legged in front of her.

“What’re you doing up?” asked Molly. “You don’t have to answer that. I think I’d be able to guess.” 

Yasha looked up. 

“Yeah,” she said in her soft butterfly voice. “What are _you_ doing up?” 

“I’m sure you can guess.”

Yasha hummed at that. 

Molly tilted his head slightly.

“It's raining," he commented. "Are you staying with us?" 

Yasha thought for a moment. 

“I don’t think so,” Yasah said. "I don't think the storm will be going anywhere. So I won't be, either." 

Molly nodded.

“..Has the Stormlord been talking to you?” 

“A little bit, yes. Has the Moonweaver..?”

Molly shrugged. “Never talked to her.” 

Yasha looked a little surprised. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah,” he said. “Maybe I haven’t been paying attention. Or maybe she just hasn’t been talking.”

“Oh.”

After a moment, Molly says, “I wonder what it’s like for you. And the others. I know Caddy and Jessie communicate with their gods a lot, and I know you do. And Fjord.. Well. Y’know. Wet dreams.”

“..Would you _like_ to talk to her?” Yasha asked. 

“Wouldn’t be opposed to it,” Molly admitted. “I wonder what she’d have to say. But.. Well, you guys were, I guess, _chosen_ by your gods. You know? But _I_ chose _her_. I wasn't just _picked_ like you guys were, I just _started_ following her. Funny, isn’t it? I mean, not to say I don’t think she cares about me just because I'm not, like, her chosen one.” Molly paused. “I’ve felt closer to her, lately. Closer than I felt before I, y’know, died.” Molly snorted to himself. “I could always go draw a dick in the dirt and see what happens. Seems to work for Jester.”

Yasha chuckled quietly.

“Worth a shot,” she said. She paused. “Jester pulled a random tarot card to lay at your grave. It was the Moon. ..Could mean something.”

Molly nodded. “I definitely think it means something. That card.. Well, for me, it pops up a lot." 

“Why the Moonweaver...?” Yasha asked curiously. 

Molly inhaled a breath, before saying, “ _Walk unbridled and untethered, finding and forging new memories and experiences_.” 

He paused. 

“Read that in a book, once. Well, not really _read_ it. Stumbled through it, I needed Gustav to read it back to me, but.. It’s one of her commandments, I think. And for a lady with nothing to his name and no memories to back, with the only way you can go being _forward_.. Reading something like that, well, that’s the sort of thing that sticks with you. Couldn’t stop thinking about it, after I first read it. Asked my cards about it later, and, well, I’m sure you can guess which card I pulled. ..Never read the whole book, too much of a hassle, y’know? I don’t even know any of her commandments, besides that one. Guess I’m kinda a shitty worshipper, huh?”

Yasha shrugged. “There are many ways to worship. Just because you can’t remember some sentences doesn’t mean you’re a bad worshipper.” 

Molly took a deep breath.

“Right.” 

Molly looked up. 

“It really is a nice night out,” he said.

Yasha hummed at that, the sound blending in with the insistent patter of rain. “It is,” she agreed. 

And even though it was pissing rain, not a single cloud covered up the moon.

The moonlight illuminated Molly’s face and the rain fell like beads into Yasha’s hair. 

(Both of them felt like they were being watched. It felt comforting rather than alarming- Like a parent watching a child.)

(Both Molly and Yasha looked gorgeous, the moonlight reflecting off the water droplets on their skin. The night seemed to envelope the two of them, like they belonged there.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> catch me casually calling molly a lady, juno steel style


	12. sad fabric

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beau questions Molly's fashion choices. Molly and Yasha see an opportunity. Jester gets excited.

“Fuckin’ hell, you’re _still_ wearing that?” said Beau incredulously with a wrinkle of her nose. 

“...Wearing what?”

“ _That_!” 

“ _What_? My _usual fucking clothes_?”

Beau just stared at him.

Molly looked down at his shirt. Loose-fitting, white, with a deep v-neck that showed off the white lines of (mostly) self-inflicted scars on his chest and neck. It looked like the same shirt he had before he died, but.. He threw that other shirt out, since there was a large blood stain soaking the whole front of it. Molly hated looking at it.

“..I’m wearing a _shirt_ , Beauregard. It's just a normal shirt.” 

“No, the-” Beau sighed, maybe a little disgruntled, “-the _coat_ , Molls.” 

“..Yeah?” 

“I swear to gods, it’s gonna start attracting _flies_ , Molly.” And then she winced a little at her words. “I mean, uh-” Beau groaned, “Come on, Molls, it’s _filthy_!”

“ _Whaddya_ \- Oh.” 

“ _Yeah_.” 

Molly shrugged off his coat, spreading it out on the table in front of him. 

“..Okay, yeah. That’s pretty bad.” 

Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to leave out a coat in the biting snow, and then the unrelenting sun, for months on end. Especially if it was a battle-worn, blood-stained, muddied coat. 

Which was exactly what the it was. The ends of it were torn and frayed, a ragged-looking thing, patches of it missing, red-brown stains of blood and dirt all over it. The colors, once vibrant, were faded and dulled. 

Molly sniffed the air and cringed.

“I was so happy to see that the damn thing was still there when I woke up,” Molly said, “that I hadn’t noticed until now how utterly _fucked_ it is.”

“Uh, yeah,” said Beau. “It’s _fucked_.” 

“Terrible,” continued Molly.

“Disgusting,” Beau agreed. 

“Horrible.”

“Revolting.”

“Repulsive.” 

“Nauseating.” 

“It’s amazing.”

“I agree- _What_?” 

It was then that Beau noticed the twinkle in Molly’s eyes. 

“Don’t you _see_ , Beauregard?” 

“..I see a shitty jacket.”

“ _Coat_ ,” correct Molly, though he couldn’t stop smiling.

“Jacket. What the fuck’re you-”

“ _YASHA! YASHAAAAA_! Yash, Yash, Yaaaaash!” 

Molly grinned wider at the sound of Yasha walking down the stairs. 

“Yes, Molly?” she said as she got downstairs. 

Molly sprung up, grinned at Yasha with sharp teeth that sparkled, and held his arms out to gesture at the torn coat that was laid out. “ _Ta-da_!” 

Yasha’s eyes began to twinkle, too, and her lips quirked up in small smile, which wasn’t much for anyone else, but for Yasha, she was basically beaming. 

“I… I really don’t see it, guys,” said Beau. “I.. Guys?” 

Molly hopped up and down a little, clapping his hands. “It’s a new project, Yasha!” 

“Just like last time,” Yasha said in an awed voice. 

“Guys, I’m not trackin’-” 

“Get ready for a world of pain, Beauregard! A world of sleep-deprivation and hand cramps!” Molly clamped a hand on Beau’s shoulder. “You’ll love it!” 

Molly gasped as his eyes widened. “I wonder what kind of fabric patterns there are in Xorhas...” 

“Fabric patterns? ..Oh. _Oh!_ ” said Beau excitedly as she realized what Molly was implying, feeling proud of herself. “...Oh,” she said as she realized that what Molly was talking about was boring as fuck. “You’re talking about _sewing_.”

“This is great, Beauregard!” said Molly. “It gives the coat more character.”

“As if you needed to be more flamboyant.”

“I _always_ need to be more flamboyant.” 

“That’s what we did at the circus, too,” said Yasha with a soft reminiscent smile. “Molly made the coat himself, and I helped. We stayed up all night, and every time we thought we were done, Molly would just _have_ to add something new to it.” Molly laughed, and Yasha laughed softly in a way that sounded like bells and Beau tried not to stare in awe at a gorgeous, laughing Yasha. 

“C’mon, Beauregard," said Molly, "It can be a fun family activity! Y’know, alongside everything else we- Getting drunk in taverns, slaying monsters from the Abyss, _sewing_.”

“Goes together,” Beau said with a snort.

“Exactly!” said Molly. “Which means, we need a sewing kit and fabrics- Which means, we need to go shopping.” 

As if on cue, Jester crashed into the room. “ _Shopping_!?” 

“Yes, my dear,” said Molly with a smile. 

“We’re going _shopping_!?”

"Yep!"

" _Right now_?!" 

“Well, there’s no time like the present.” 

Jester beamed and hopped happily. “Yes, yes, yes! Oh, can we all gooo?”

“Of course!”

“Yay! CALEB, NOTT, FJORD, CADUUUCEUS!” 

Beau sighed. “Assholes, get your butts down here!” she yelled. “We’re going shopping!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one of these days, i'll figure out how to include the stuff thats been happening in canon recently into this fic. but today is not that day. 
> 
> i mean, why have a canon timeline when you can have a shopping episode, amirite?


	13. hell hath no fury like the rampage of jester lavorre playing dress-up with mollymauk tealeaf while on a shopping spree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jester is given totally full range. Molly becomes a dress-up doll. Molly tries not to flirt and predictably fails. Essik "Hot Boy" Theylas lives up to his nickname.

Molly found himself leaning in Caleb’s doorway. 

“You comin’?” Molly asked him. 

“I heard from Jester’s yelling,” said Caleb, “that she wants to go shopping?” 

“Yeah,” Molly said, “she seems very passionate about giving me an updated wardrobe. To match with all of you guys, I guess.” Molly glanced over at Caleb, who was wearing his usual white shirt, but matched with his new coat- Dark blue, embroidered with silver, and made of sturdy yet comfortable fabric.

“I admit, I’ll miss the hobo trenchcoat,” said Molly, “but you fill out that new one in all the right ways.” 

Caleb blinked a little and paused and Molly spluttered, “Uh, shit- You’re dating that, uh, Essik guy, right? Was that out of line? I should probably stop flirting with you. Sorry.”

Caleb paused, before giving Molly a small smile. “Es ist in Ordnung. It’s fine, Mollymauk. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.” 

Molly tried not to wince at that. 

“Yeah, I didn’t mean anything by it,” said Molly, even when the words burned to say. 

Molly paused, then shrugged off his ruined collage of a coat. 

“Still hangin’ in there, wouldn’t you say?” 

“Could be worse,” said Caleb. “It’s, ah, hanging in there.” 

“Trade?” said Molly. “I want to try on your coat, it looks comfy. And I mostly just wanna see you in my coat. I’ve never seen you in so much color.”

To Molly’s surprise, the corners of Caleb’s (perfect and pink and soft and...) lips quirked up. 

“Sure. Ja, I’ll humor you.” Caleb shrugged off his jacket, tossing it to Caleb.

They each put on each other’s coats, then paused as they looked at each other. 

(Caleb wearing his coat made the butterflies in Molly’s stomach do funny things. He looked gorgeous. Well, he always looked gorgeous, even if he had shit smeared all over his face. But Molly had certainly noticed how Caleb had cleaned up. Cleaned up _rather_ nicely. It made Molly’s heart squeeze.)

Molly tilted his head. “Hell. You look good in color.” 

“If you say so,” said Caleb. “Danke. You look good, too. Xhorhasion style sure has an, ah, aesthetic, that fits you rather well.” 

Molly beamed. 

“Danke, Mr. Caleb!” 

Molly held out an arm. “Shall we? Jester can only wait for so long.” 

Caleb smiled slightly, a little in amusement. He looped his arm around Molly’s. “How _charmant_.” 

“Hm?” 

“Nothing, Mollymauk.” 

“ _Oh_!” said Jester as they walked downstairs. “ _Caleb_! You look good in color! And Molly, that coat fits you so _well_!” she squealed. “Oh, this is giving me _ideas_!”

“Good ideas?” asked Molly, amused. 

“Oh, we could get Caleb some pretty clothes, too! With more color, like that coat!” 

“Uh..” Caleb said. “Ja, sure, sure.” 

Molly chuckled. 

The only reason that Molly wanted to go shopping, was for fabric and sewing materials, but Jester was having too much fun dragging Molly through every jewelry store she could find, and it wasn’t like Molly was going to ruin it for her. 

Only Caleb and Beau had ended up going shopping with Jester, Molly, and Yasha, but that didn’t bother Jester, who was just happy to have Molly to pull around.

“Molly! Molly!” Jester said, holding up a pair of earrings- Moon-shaped studs that were connected by a silver chain to an ear cuff.

“These would look gorgeous on you, Molly!” 

“Well, we certainly have enough coin to splurge a bit, don’t we?” 

Jester grinned in such a way that made her sharp, sharp tiefling fangs look positively adorable.

Molly raised a hand to his earlobe. “Oh, fuck’s sake- Earring holes closed up. Damn, dying!” 

“Oh, we’ll have to get those pierced again,” Jester pouted. 

“I could do it,” said Yasha. 

Molly eyed Yasha. “Can you?” 

“It’s just stabbing you with a needle, yeah?” said Yasha. “Anyways, I’m careful with sharp objects. I shaved Caleb just fine.”

“She cut Caleb last time,” said Beau. 

“I cut him last time. But only a little bit. Give me some credit, it was a very big sword.”

Molly thought for a moment. “I really, really hate that I’m _not_ opposed to the idea.” 

Yasha smiled. 

“..You should still get the earrings, though,” said Caleb after a moment. “They.. Fit.” 

Molly beamed and Jester beamed even brighter. 

“I’ll pay for them!” said Jester. “A welcome back gift!”

“Well,” said Molly, “I never turn down free stuff. And its not like I could pay for them anyways, since I’m fuckin’ jackshit poor. Beau, Nott, and Caleb _did_ kind of loot my dead body- Oh, stop with that face, Mr. Caleb! I’ve already said that it was fine, like, a million times. If it was any of you, I would’ve done the same. Besides, like you said, Beau- I funded my own resurrection campaign.” 

Caleb and Beau nodded. Caleb only looked _slightly_ consoled, and Beau only looked _slightly_ less guilty, but at least it was something. 

Jester continued dragging Molly around the large department store, throwing at him various shawls, necklaces, piercings, shoes and boots, belts, rings, horn decorations. After not too long, Molly’s arms were much too full. 

“Uh.. Jessie? You _can_ actually afford all of that, right?” Beau said.

“Of course!” said Jester. “..Probably! Hopefully. I think so!” 

“We can pitch in,” Yasha suggested. 

“Ja, of course,” said Caleb. “After everything that’s happened.. Mollymauk deserves some indulgence.” 

“Yeah, ‘xactly,” said Beau.

“Da’aw, you all flatter me,” said Molly. “But really, you don’t have to-”

“But I _want_ to!” said Jester, crossing her arms and stomping her little booted foot. And, well. There was no arguing with that. 

So Molly sighed fondly and decided to just let it happen.

Molly’s used to stares. He got them all the time while they were in the Empire- Lingering gazes at his horns or narrowed eyes at his swishing tail. 

But Xhorhas was a place of drows, full-blooded orcs, goblins, bugbears. So why was he getting stares for being a _tiefling_? Sure, purple is a rare color for tieflings, but.. 

Gods, even in Xhorhas, he can’t catch a break. No rest for the wicked. 

It takes a moment, though, to realize that they’re not staring because he’s a tiefling. Their concerned looks don’t linger on his horns or his talons or his tail- They linger on the scar on his chest, the mangled flesh that isn’t covered up by his v-neck shirt. 

Molly looks down at the scar, the spot where his purple skin turns into a mess of raw white. The other scars, the thinner ones, they garner stares too, but they don’t bother Molly.

This one, though.. 

Molly happily discovers that Caleb’s coat has buttons. He buttons it to his throat, and its tight, but now at least he knows he won’t have to worry about the scar. 

Beau bumps her shoulder against his, and Molly glances up at her. 

She raised her eyebrow at him. 

Molly shrugged.

Beau frowned. 

Molly pretended not to notice. 

Beau sighed. “I _get_ it,” said Beau, “but you don’t need to button it up _that_ much, you look like you’re trying to choke yourself!” 

“Well, you don’t know, I might be into that sorta thing,” says Molly without missing a beat. 

“Oh fuck off!” said Beau, pushing him. Molly grinned smugly. 

Beau rolled her eyes and grabbed his wrist. “C’mon, lets catch up to the others before Jester leaves us in the dust.” 

They start walking ahead to catch up to where Jester had dragged off Caleb and Yasha, and then Molly notices that Jester is talking to someone. 

Jester is talking to Essik Theylas. 

Molly freezes in place. 

Beau gives him a weird look.

Molly sighs. “I’m fucked.”

“..Why? Do you not trust pretty boy over there? I mean, I didn’t for a while, but if Caleb trusts him, then I do, y’know? I mean, you also haven’t known him for as long, so..” 

“He’s dating Caleb,” said Molly.

“..So you’re _jealous_?”

“He’s dating Caleb,” Molly says through gritted teeth, “ _and_ he’s _fucking_ hot.”

“ _Oh_ , so you’re jealous of both of them? You’re jealous about Essik dating Caleb, _and_ you’re jealous that Caleb is getting a piece of that instead of you.”

Molly frowned slightly. “Partially. I don’t have a problem with them dating, though, and Essik seems like an alright fella,” said Molly. “Just.. Trying to push away my first instinct to flirt with both of them is like when you become aware of your own breathing. It's painful.” 

“ _Oh_ ,” said Beau. “So you naturally wanna flirt with them, but you don’t want to do so when you know that they’re dating, and dating _each other_ , and flirting with one of them while the other is _right there_ is kinda shitty, but the fact that they’re both right there means you have two targets that could tempt you into flirting.”

Molly sighed. “Yeah. I’m screwed. I wanna flirt with both of them, and both of them in the same area is so _tantalizing_ , but if I flirted with them then _I’d_ be a _fucking asshole_.”

“Do you have a crush on fuckin’ pretty boy?”

“I barely know him,” said Molly. “But he’s hot, and I’m a sucker for casual flirting with strangers.”

“..Yeah, that checks out,” said Beau. “Definitely sounds like you. C’mon-”

And then Beau, stilling holding onto his wrist, dragged him over. 

Essik looked up from talking to Jester, and saw Beau and Molly, and Molly swallowed. Yeah, Essik’s way hotter than should be allowed. And Molly didn’t miss the way that Caleb and Essik just _fit_ together; Caleb, with his warm-toned peachy skin and his vibrant orange hair that shone with golden highlights when the light hit it just right, eyes as clear and blue and bright as the daytime sky. And then there was Essik, skin as dark as night, hair as white and glinting as moonlight, eyes that shone bright and beautifully silver. Like they were the Sun and the Moon.. 

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Molly’s letting his thoughts run away from him. 

“Ah,” said Essik, greeting him with a smile, “Hello, Molly.”

Essik glanced at Caleb, and then at Molly.

“Swapped coats?”

“Hm? Oh, right! Yeah, we did- Just needed to see Caleb in some bright colors, for once. Y’know, before Caleb updated his wardrobe, he’d wear this fuckin’ _raggedy_ brown coat that was usually covered in shit.”

Wow, great going, Molly. Yes, _definitely_ mention shit in front of hot boy Essik. 

To Molly’s pleasant surprise, Essik smiles amusedly.

“Yes, I do recall that,” Essik said with a hint of humor in his voice. “When the Mighty Nein met with the Bright Queen for the first time, I remember seeing him wear it. That.. coat covered in shit,” said Essik, and Molly feels oddly proudly for getting the Shadowhand to say something so vulgar and Molly’s face lights up. “..And wearing leather straps,” Essik adds afterwards.

Beau and Caleb groan loudly. 

Molly stares at Caleb incredulously. “Leather _straps_!? _Mr. Caleb_ , by the _Weaver_!” 

Jester smiles sheepishly. “Oh, I forgot to mention that, didn’t I?” 

“By the Weaver, it doesn’t seem like something you’d leave out, Jester!” Molly says.

Beau bumps Molly on the shoulder. “We’ll tell you more later,” she says. “And before you ask, _no_ , it _wasn’t_ because of whatever you’re thinking.” 

“Oh, well that’s less interesting, then.”

He actually gets a tiny laugh from Essik. Molly doesn’t think he’s ever felt so proud of himself in his life. Er. Lives.

“Going.. Shopping, I see?” said Essik, eyeing the pile of clothes Jester was holding in her arms. 

“Well, yeah,” said Molly, “seeing as I literally only own, like, four articles of clothes.”

“Five, if you count the fuckin’ tapestrey,” said Beau, before shuddering. “That thing has been around your d-” 

“Not important!” said Molly, clapping at hand over Beau’s mouth, who glares at him. 

“It’s been around his dick,” Jester finished the sentence innocently.

Molly didn’t have the strength to be able to glare at _Jester_ , but he certainly put in his best effort.

“Well.. Not just his dick,” said Yasha. “He wore it while he was naked, so it’s been around more than just his dick.” 

Molly stared at them, dead behind the eyes, while Caleb covered his mouth to keep from laughing. 

“So, you only have _five_ articles of clothing,” said Essik with an amused raise of his eyebrow.

“Uh, yeah. It’s funny- Before I died, we were poor as shit, and now we have a _house_ and we’re fuckin’ _splurging_ -”

“..Died?” said Essik. “I was sure that reincarnation was not possible outside of the Dynasty.”

“Uh…” said Molly, glancing at the others. “No, no, it’s not- Uh, it’s just an expression! Like, oh man, before I died, y’know! It’s like saying, uh, _back in my day_.”

The others looked like they would’ve laughed at Molly’s piss-poor lie if they weren’t vaguely worried. 

Essik looked thoroughly unconvinced. 

“I was sure that our technology here in the Dynasty did not leak over into the Empire,” said Essik, “Except for the luxon, which was returned. I have not been lied to, have I?”

“Geez, no!" said Molly quickly. "No, the light or the luxon or whatever the fuck has nothing to do with it. I just sorta up and died. Took one hell of a resurrection ritual to get me back, but no, no Dynasty magic shit there.” 

“...You died?”

“Yeah! Wasn’t, uh. Wasn’t fun. Dying wasn’t fun. Kinda sucked, actually!” 

“Molly hasn’t been around for a long time,” said Jester, “so we’re getting him a buncha nice stuff, since the rest of us all got nice stuff when he was... Dead.”

Essik nodded. 

“I’ll pay for it,” said Essik.

Caleb stepped forward. “ _Liebste_ , you don’t have to, honestly-” 

“Oh no,” said Essik with a smile softer than freshly fallen snow, putting a hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “I insist, my dear. It’s my treat. I have plenty of gold to spare.”

Caleb looked at Essik lovingly, then sighed, relenting. “Alright, liebling. Dankeschön.”

“Of course, Caleb.”

“Awfully generous!” said Molly. “Thanks a whole lot, pretty boy. Though, I must warn you- You’ve given Jester full range, the Weaver only knows how much of your money is going to waste now,” Molly joked. 

“It’s not going to waste,” said Essik, moving a hand onto Molly’s shoulder. “It’s going to a good cause.” 

“Eh, I wouldn’t say it’s a _good_ cause,” said Molly. “More of an _alright_ cause. But hey, not like I’m turnin’ the down the offer.” 

Jester’s eyes sparkled like the ocean. She threw herself forwards and tackled Essik in a hug, who stumbled backwards but steadied himself. 

“ _Thank you Essik_! Thank you thank you _thank youuuuu_!” 

“Oh- You are very welcome. ..You can let go of me now, Jester.” 

“You called him _pretty boy_ ,” Beau hissed into Molly’s ear. Molly scowled. 

“Instinct.” 

“Can’t teach an old dog new tricks, huh?” 

“I’m two years old, Beauregard.” 

“Whatever.” 

Jester skipped down one of the aisles, now holding a bag full of clothes and whatever-the-fuck. 

“..You _are_ sure about this, right? I mean, hell hath no fury like Jester on a shopping spree with totally full range.”

Essik just gave Molly a smile. “I’m sure I’ll manage. Do you doubt my wealth?” 

“Not really, no. But I _am_ very used to being poor as shit, so the fact that people can be _this_ wealthy seems sorta unreal. I grew up in a circus, buncha broke misfits, y’know? And even when I first joined the Mighty Nein, I never thought we’d be able to do _this_. Or that we’d ever have a place to sleep that isn’t a tavern or a tent or a wagon. Random question, any crafts stores nearby? Because that coat,” he said, pointing at the coat hanging off Caleb’s frame, “is kinda _fucked_.”

“And you wouldn’t prefer to just.. Buy yourself a new one?” Essik asked

Molly shook his head, jewelry jingling. “ _Nah_. Call it sentimentality.” 

“Because that’s what it is,” added Yasha. 

“Well, yeah. Because it is. Guess I’m kinda an ol’ sentimental bugger. Y’know, some of that coat is made of old circus tents that we didn’t need anymore. I thought the pattern was pretty and I would’ve hated to see it go to waste, so..”

“Rather creative,” said Essik. 

Molly grinned. “Thanks, pretty boy! Yasha helped with a lot of it,” said Molly, nodding towards the large barbarian. “No matter what Jester decides to get me, I’ll probably still wear my coat over it.”

“Even if it doesn’t go together?” asked Essik.

Molly laughed. “Pretty boy, _nothing_ goes with that coat. That’s part of its beauty.” 

A few feet ahead, Jester gasps loudly. 

“Molly! Molly Molly _Molly_!”

“Oh, by the Mistress,” Beau muttered, “looks like Jester found the dresses.” 

“Molly! Molly! Molly! Oh my _gods_ , take a look at this one, Molly! And this one! And this one!” 

“Jester, what- Oof!” Jester dumped a pile of dresses into Molly’s arms. “By the Weaver, darling!”

“Try _all_ of those on, Molly! You’ll look _gorgeous_!” 

Molly looks down at the pile in his arms. “Well, these are rather pretty.” 

“Hello darlings, am I pretty yet?” Molly joked as he leaned in the doorway of the dressing room. 

“You’re always pretty,” said Yasha softly.

Jester started squealing. 

“Molly, you look gorgeous!”

“Tell me something I don’t know, darling,” said Molly jokingly, making Jester giggle. 

“Fits the aesthetic,” said Caleb. 

“It does, doesn’t it?” Molly smoothed the dress out- Form-fitting, open-backed, low-cut with a slit in the front, the fabric pooling onto the floor around Molly’s ankles- And the whole thing looked like it was made of green and iridescent peacock feathers. 

“Certainly your style,” commented Essik. 

“You’re not my type, but you look hot,” Beau said with a monotone voice. Molly grinned. 

Yasha gave Molly a thumbs-up. “You’re beautiful.”

“I know, but you’re too kind!” 

“We’re buying that one,” said Jester determinedly, “it fits you so well!” 

“It does!" Molly paused. "Can I put on some pants now?”

Jester just grinned. 

“..Well, I’ll take that as a _no_.”

“Okay,” said Molly, “this one just doesn’t fit my style.” 

“You look like..” Beau paused. “You look like a housewife.” 

Molly looked down at himself- A yellow dress with a cinched waist where the fabric flared out, the dress going down to just above his knees.

Molly pulled up the elbow-length white gloves Jester insisted he wear.

“A _hot_ housewife?” he asked Beau. Beau snorted.

“You _always_ look hot even if you shouldn’t. You looked hot _dead_.” Beau’s facial expressions immediately turned into one of intense regret, but Molly thought the joke was funny.

Molly put his hands on his hips. 

“I don’t think yellow is my color, darling,” he said to Jester.

“Nonsense! Yellow and purple are complementary colors, Molly! So, like, it’s not possible for you to look bad in yellow,” Jester said matter-of-factly. 

Molly sighed, a fond little smile on his features.

“Sure, Jessie.”

“You look like a nanny I had once when I was eight,” said Beau.

“Wow,” Molly drawled dryly, “Marvelous comparison, Beauregard. The _nanny_ look was _obviously_ what I was going for.”

“You didn’t let me finish! I had a _big_ crush on this nanny, but I was eight-years-old and a dumbass so I thought I hated her instead, so whenever she was around I would go over to her and step on her feet really hard.”

“Oh, that definitely makes the comparison _so_ better,” Molly said. 

“Yeah. The only difference is that I _don’t_ have a crush on you.”

“Please don’t step on my feet.”

“No promises.” 

“By the Weaver, this is the poofiest thing I’ve ever worn!”

Jester just looked at him with stars in her eyes, and behind her, Beau tried not to snicker. 

“Give us a twirl, princess!” said Beau.

“You know what? I _will_! I _will_ do that, because fuck you!” 

Molly twirled around, the poofy pink fabric swishing. 

“ _Molly_! I love that dress so much!” 

“Well, it’s yours, then!” 

Jester gasped. “Oh my gods, yes please!” 

“Deal, then! I’m putting on pants now, and you can’t stop me.” 

“Wait, Molls-”

“ _I_ get to put on pants, _you _get to have the dress.”__

__Jester waited. “Hmmm…. Okay!”_ _

__Molly smiled and outstretched a hand towards. “Pleasure doing business with you!”_ _

__Jester giggled and shook it._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> catch me with that shadowgast sun/moon imagery 
> 
> was this chapter an excuse to imagine molly in some dresses?? yah. yah it was. 
> 
> also??????? holy CRAP this has 101 kudos what the fuuuuck??? never thought that would happen- thanks so much to everyone who's given this fic kudos!! definitely makes me wanna write more


End file.
